


Morning People

by virtualboy



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mild Spoilers for Act 4, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:07:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23224498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virtualboy/pseuds/virtualboy
Summary: He can try all he likes to wake up the boy he loves, but one look at that soft smile makes Tasuku give in every time.
Relationships: Takatoo Tasuku/Tsukioka Tsumugi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 166





	Morning People

Tasuku always had difficulty sleeping the night before the first read-through. His mind raced with excitement when he thought about being able to perform again, and usually he would just stay up all night reading through the script but both the director and Tsuzuru withheld it.    
  
Tsumugi probably told them to keep the script away from him. 

So he tried, and tried, and tried to lay in bed and fall asleep, but he couldn’t get rid of his restless energy. He kept tossing and turning, trying countless positions that might help him feel comfortable, but nothing worked. Every time he thought he might be getting close to falling asleep, he’d imagine something else about the read-through and send his mind racing again. 

He had no idea what time it was either. At least a few hours had passed since Tsumugi and him had gone to bed, but other than that he had no clue. It was probably past midnight. 

When he lived alone, usually he’d just get up and workout until he was so exhausted that he’d pass out on the closest soft surface. But with Tsumugi here, he didn’t want to disturb him. And just getting out of bed would wake him up. 

After fruitlessly trying another position and rolling onto his back, Tasuku hears the soft rustle of Tsumugi getting out of bed, followed by the quiet creak of him climbing down the ladder to his bed. 

Did Tasuku wake him up? He feels bad about that, Tsumugi needs his rest more than Tasuku did. He didn’t have to get up though, he could just tell Tasuku to shut up. 

Tsumugi’s head appears above the side of his bed shortly after, and even in the dark Tasuku can tell he’s smiling. 

“Tachan, you should be asleep.” He teases, and even though his voice is soft and sleepy-sounding, it carries the song-like teasing tone that Tasuku has grown so fond of over the years. He rarely gets to hear it, but when he does he cherishes it. 

“Ah… sorry.” He speaks quietly, looking away from Tsumugi. “Did I wake you up?” 

“Uh-uh.” Tsumugi shakes his head softly, then climbs the rest of the way up the ladder and sits next to Tasuku. “Too excited to sleep, huh?” He still speaks with that teasing tone, and Tasuku doesn’t even care that he’s being made fun of. 

“I guess you could say that…” Tasuku half-heartedly mutters, his pout audible. 

“You never change, Tachan.” He laughs quietly, and before Tasuku can even complain, Tsumugi is getting under the covers. 

“Wh… what are you doing?” He asks, watching Tsumugi. 

Tsumugi lays his head on the pillow, and Tasuku gets completely distracted by the way his hair falls, wishing he could reach over and brush it back with his fingers. Instead, he looks up at the ceiling in an attempt to clear away those pesky thoughts. 

Is this really going to help him sleep?

Tsumugi’s sleepy laugh pulls Tasuku out of his head, and he looks down at him again. 

“Remember when we were kids? You used to climb into bed with me when I was too scared to sleep.” He smiles, and Tasuku can feel warmth blooming in his chest at both the sight and the memory. 

They were both way too old to be doing stuff like that, and yet here Tsumugi was, in Tasuku’s bed. 

He didn’t mind. 

“It wouldn’t be fair if I slept while you stayed awake all night..” He says, gripping the blanket gently. He was grateful it was dark so Tsumugi wouldn’t be able to see his blush, but he could probably tell anyways. 

He feels a soft hand over his own, and he involuntarily relaxes his grip. 

“Well, I have to return the favor, don’t I?” He tightens his fingers around Tasuku’s hand softly. “Come to bed, Tachan.” 

Tasuku sighs, but gives in. He lays down on his back, trying not to focus on how close Tsumugi’s head is to his own. It’s difficult, since they’re sharing a pillow. 

It doesn’t even last that long though, because he feels the weight of an arm being gingerly placed over his stomach, and the familiar sensation of a head leaned against his shoulder. 

Tsumugi’s breath evens out almost immediately after Tasuku lays down, and he feels a faint pang of jealousy. And an even fainter feeling of annoyance. 

How can Tsumugi just  _ do  _ stuff like this, without being affected? Maybe it was the years of being friends, but he had no idea how much it affected Tasuku. Especially when he acts so gentle, like he’ll hurt Tasuku if he uses any force. 

Ever since they had joined Mankai, it was like this. 

Everything they did felt like it was directed at them. First that stupid doll, which… admittedly was cursed but it was still way too specific, and then with Sympathy for the Angel, and having to act like Raphael’s love for Michael was just that - an act, and not an extension of Tasuku’s feelings for Tsumugi. It was weird, it felt like everything was scripted. 

He even… sort of confessed. It was a pathetic attempt at a confession, but how many different ways can “I’m in love with your acting” be taken? 

He doesn’t want to have to spell out everything for Tsumugi, he wants him to just  _ get  _ it. He shouldn’t have to say anything, he just wants Tsumugi to know. 

Nothing would change if he kept acting like this, though. But did Tasuku want things to change?    


Desperately. 

But the risk of losing Tsumugi again is too high. He’s already lost him once, and he can’t go through that pain again. 

Tasuku finally looks at Tsumugi once he’s sure he’s asleep, carefully rolling on his side so he doesn’t disturb his rest again. 

He finally allows himself the simple pleasure of moving Tsumugi’s hair back, gently brushing it to the side. It was selfish, maybe, but he couldn’t help himself. It was all he could do, to relax the pounding of his heart. These gentle, fleeting touches would have to be enough for Tasuku. And they were, or at least they were enough to make him think he was okay with how things are. 

Tasuku lays his head down on the pillow next to Tsumugi, and he falls asleep without even realizing it. 

-

The next morning, Tasuku wakes up to a mouthful of Tsumugi’s hair. It’s unpleasant, but once he registers that the two of them are pressed together, arms wrapped around each other, with Tsumugi’s head tucked beneath his chin, Tasuku decides he’s okay with it. 

He spends a silent moment just relishing in being able to hold Tsumugi, wishing he could wake up like this every morning. 

Hopefully his pounding heart doesn’t wake Tsumugi up. 

The alarm on his phone goes off, and he groans softly. He doesn’t want to get up, for once in his life. He’d rather just lay in bed with Tsumugi all day. 

But they’ll get an earful from no less than three people if they don’t show up, and he’d much rather not get in trouble. 

“Tsumugi, wake up.” Tasuku demands softly, separating himself from the arms tangled around him and shaking Tsumugi’s body softly. He reaches to turn the alarm on his phone off, and when Tsumugi makes zero indication that he’s going to wake up, Tasuku starts shaking a little harder. “Tsumu.” 

“Mm… Ta~chan..” Tsumugi mumbles softly, eyes blinking open slowly. He tugs the blanket up higher over his face and looks up at Tasuku. “Five more minutes?” He asks, his eyes wide. Tasuku knows he should say no, but it’s so hard to say no to him. 

“Fine.” He sighs, then climbs over Tsumugi to get out of bed. He jumps down the last few rungs of the ladder and changes out of his sleep clothes and into his regular practice clothes. It takes him less than five minutes to change, but Tsumugi doesn’t have to know it’s only been three minutes. 

“Oi, Tsumu.” He climbs back up the ladder, reaching out to shake Tsumugi awake. He rolls over to face Tasuku, but he’s still fast asleep. 

“Tachan…” He says softly, and it's barely even audible. It makes Tasuku stop dead. Was he actually asleep? Or was he just… whispering his name in his sleep? 

His heart definitely skips a beat. 

Tasuku sighs again, and relents even easier. He  _ did  _ keep Tsumugi up pretty late last night, he deserved his sleep. He watches him for a few more seconds, then climbs back down the ladder. 

He was definitely going to get reprimanded. 

Tasuku is the first one in the training room, as usual. Usually he and Tsumugi would be the first, and would use the time to talk about the script, or stretch, or practice, but now that he was alone it was unpleasantly silent. It reminded him of his time at the God Troupe, and he hated it. 

The door opens not long after he starts stretching, and Izumi walks in. “Oh! Good morning, Tasuku.” She smiles pleasantly. 

“Morning.” He nods in her direction. 

“Where’s Tsumugi?” She goes over to Tasuku, looking around the room as if she had just not seen him yet. 

“He’s… still asleep.” Tasuku says, mumbling quietly. 

“Huh? He’s asleep? Don’t you two usually get up together?” Izumi blinks at Tasuku, obviously confused.    
  
“Uh… yeah, but… we had kind of a late night last night.” Tasuku rubs the back of his neck.    
  
“Oh! Oh.” Izumi sounds surprised, but the smirk on her face says otherwise. “Oh-ho-ho.” She brings a hand up to her face to rub her chin in thought, the other firmly planted on her hip. 

Tasuku returns her blank gaze, though he’s definitely blushing. “Whatever you think we did, you’re wrong.” He tries to think of what to say, but anything he says would just make things worse. Tasuku kept him awake? He was making too much noise? Tsumugi was helping him fall asleep? 

He decides to just tell her the truth. It was easiest, if not embarrassing. She probably knew about it, anyways. Tsumugi had mentioned it to everyone before. “I was too excited to sleep and accidentally kept Tsumugi awake.” 

It’s almost more embarrassing than whatever Izumi thought they had been getting up to. 

“Oh.” Izumi has the audacity to say it with such a disappointed look on her face. 

Tasuku sighs. “What did you think we got up to.”    
  
“Well, yknow..” She looks away, picking at her nails. 

He sighs in annoyance. What did she think of them? “I just let him sleep in a little is all, I was going to wait for everyone else to get here before going to wake him up again.” He scowls, stretching his arm across his chest. 

Izumi goes quiet for a second, and Tasuku looks at her. She’s smiling again, though this time it’s much softer. “You’re pretty soft on him, you know.”    
  
“Hah? I am not.” Tasuku barks, but Izumi just laughs.   
  
“Would you let anyone else sleep in?” She asks, her voice sincere.    
  
“Well… no, I wouldn’t. I don’t usually let Tsumugi sleep in either, y’know.” Which is true, but he still let him sleep in.    
  
“But you did, even if it’s just once.” She grins, holding a finger out. “Your face says it all, Ta~chan.” 

She saw right through him. 

“Oi-” He’s about to reprimand her for calling him that, but Izumi just laughs again. 

“I know, I know, only Tsumugi can call you that. It won’t happen again.” Her smile softens back out into her happy-that-the-boys-are-getting-along smile. 

Tasuku looks forward, staring at his reflection in the mirror. Was he really that easy to read? Only Tsumugi could read him that well… maybe Izumi was just bluffing. She sucks at acting though, so probably not. If even Izumi could see it though, then maybe he  _ was  _ being blatantly obvious. 

“I think everyone else is on their way, so why don’t you go wake up Tsumugi before anyone realizes he’s getting preferential treatment?” The way she says it makes it obvious that everyone already knows Tasuku treats Tsumugi better than everyone else, but it doesn’t seem to suggest that it’s a bad thing. Thankfully, because Tasuku can’t imagine changing his treatment of Tsumugi. 

“Fine.” Tasuku nods curtly, then leaves the practice room to head back to his dorm. 

The lights are still off inside, and there’s still a Tsumugi-shaped lump on his bed. He shouldn’t have expected Tsumugi to get up on his own. 

He climbs partway up the ladder, reaching out to shake Tsumugi awake. 

His hand stills over his body though, and Tasuku just stares at his face. He looked so peaceful while asleep, it was so different from how he was when awake. He was relaxing into his role as the leader finally, but Tasuku didn’t miss the ways he carried his stress. The others may not know him well enough to notice, but Tasuku did. The faint dark circles under his eyes when he couldn’t sleep, or how stiff his shoulders would get, or when he fidgeted endlessly with the cuffs of his shirts. 

It was obvious he was holding a lot in, but when he was sleeping it wasn’t visible. He was finally relaxed, and Tasuku didn’t want to be the one to take that away. 

He’d remind Tsumugi that he could rely on him when he woke up, at least. 

Tasuku brings his hand up to gently cup Tsumugi’s cheek, brushing his thumb along the curve of his face. 

He really should tell Tsumugi how he feels, even if it’s risky. They’ve been through too much for him to leave again after everything. They’d get through it. Tasuku would be okay with staying friends, without a doubt. 

But even then… an idea tugs at his heart. It’s selfish, he knows, but he’s been doing a lot of selfish things lately. Hopefully Tsumugi could forgive him. 

Tasuku leans forward, placing a chaste kiss to Tsumugi’s forehead.

When he pulls away, Tsumugi is staring at him. 

“Ta… chan?” 

Tasuku’s eyes go wide, and he freezes. His mind is already racing with ways he could explain why he just kissed Tsumugi on the forehead, but none of them seem very convincing. 

Tsumugi just sits up, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. “What time is it?”    
  
Tasuku doesn’t respond for a second, just staring blankly at him. He… did he not realize Tasuku had kissed him? 

“... You’re late for practice.” He manages to say after a long moment, unable to move from his spot still. 

“Aha, am I? Sorry.” He laughs quietly, and Tasuku wants to kiss him again. “Guess I fell back asleep. Sorry you had to come get me.” 

He wants to tell Tsumugi to stop apologizing, too. Tasuku is the one who needs to apologize. 

Tsumugi sits on the edge of the bed, feet resting on one of the ladder rungs. Their faces are close, and it’s all Tasuku can think about. 

“I, uh-” He starts, but he’s quickly cut off. 

“Tasuku.” Tsumugi is smiling, and even after waking up his voice still sounds like a song. 

He swallows thickly. 

“You could’ve kissed me a lot sooner, y’know.” His smile widens ever so slightly, and so do Tasuku’s eyes. 

“I… what-?” He’s about to ask what Tsumugi means, but Tsumugi leans forward and cuts him off again. It’s soft, much softer than Tasuku ever could’ve imagined. Neither of them really move for a bit, until Tasuku leans up to deepen it. It feels like a dream, like he’s still asleep and he’s going to wake up alone in his bed, with Tsumugi in his own. He reaches out blindly for Tsumugi’s hand, and when he finds it they tangle their fingers together, squeezing tight.

When they pull away, everything is quiet for a bit. They just stare at each other, still gripping each other’s hands. 

Then, Tsumugi starts laughing. 

He’s so beautiful, it’s unfair. 

“Since when did you get so confident…” Tasuku mutters, his cheeks burning. He doesn’t look away from Tsumugi, though. 

“Sorry. I guess that’s your influence on me, Tachan.” He laughs. 

“Quit apologizing.” Tasuku says firmly, leaning up and kissing Tsumugi again. 

“Okay.” He mumbles into the kiss, bringing his free hand up to cup Tasuku’s cheek. 

He pulls away just enough to speak, looking Tsumugi in the eyes. “You don’t have to apologize to me about stupid shit, I’m your best friend. You can rely on me more too, you're not alone anymore.” He was more than Tsumugi’s best friend now, hopefully, but he didn’t want to say it yet. 

They were definitely going to get an earful for being so late to practice, but Tasuku didn’t care. All he cared about was being able to finally kiss Tsumugi. 

“If I can wake up to this every day, maybe I’ll become a morning person.” Tsumugi laughs, and it makes Tasuku fall in love again. 

“I doubt that.” He smiles, and leans in. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was entirely inspired by Tsumugi's homescreen morning comment about how he doesn't like waking up early. I love them both so much. 
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism welcome!
> 
> Follow me on twitter [@v1rtualboy](https://twitter.com/v1rtualboy)


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